ON THE CORN LAWS. 233

meat, cheefe, butter, wool, hides, tallow, ar every fort of LETT.IL.

rude produce, corn excepted, as the Jforerunner and attendant on tbe greateft of all public advantages, imagining that the high price of thofe articles will be followed by the low price of Corn, potatoes, and every vegetable production; a conclufion which he draws from erroneous principles, and in whichit is. novr evident he has been miftaken,

When we recur to firft principles, and the immutable lawe of nature, in judging of Dr Smith'’s Opinion on the free IMpor+ tation of foreign corn into Britain, and the propofed monopoly in favour of manufactures, we fhall find fufficient caufe for drawing oppofñite conclufons, and that whilft agriculture re: quires to be protected by à monopoly, manufa@tures may be left free. In order to fhewthisin à clear point of view, E {hall point out the different principles on which the pro

duétive powers of agriculture and manufactures are founded. And fhall frft begin with manufaûtures.

It is obvious that the Supreme Difpofer of all things has given to the general mafs of mankind, in every country, near- ly an equal fhare of bodily ftrength, and faculties of mind fu£: ceptible of cultivation and improvement, This cafe, as manufactures are performed by the labo body, facilitated by the inventi all nations are nearly on a p

being the ur of the ons of art, in this point of view ar{Or carrying on manufactures: 1f, however, one nation advances confiderably in population beyond the other, their wants increafe in Proportion, and 2: fpur is given to their ingenuity, in order to fupply them.. In: Gg

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